


The Ruins of Dream Valley

by EasilyDistractedJedi



Category: My Little Pony, Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-04-21 17:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22097425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EasilyDistractedJedi/pseuds/EasilyDistractedJedi
Summary: A flash fiction style story about Optimus Prime visiting the last Queen of Dream Valley--Brightbow the Pegasus--and restoring order to Earth once more.PS: Dream Valley is Generation 1, so I assume this is Gen 1 Optimus as well, but if you wanna go Michael Bay I am not gonna stop you lol
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	1. A Dearth of Hope

What I once knew of this world, of my home, is lost. 

My castle under the sun has become a faded ruin, my beloved kingdom lost to a dark evil. It seems I am the last one alive.

I stand alone, my long mane whipping in the cold wind. Its hints of blue and yellow and lavender brighten the otherwise dark and dreary sky. I beat my wings, rustle them somewhat. I feel centuries old, part of the castle I am now standing on. 

The castle itself was once a marvel to behold. It was nestled in a wood, near a great waterfall overlooking the once lush valley far below. It had splendid turrets, the color of mother of pearl in the full sun, otherwise a marbled texture. It was made ages ago, by the first daughter of Majesty. She lived a very full life, the princess of Dream Valley. 

But I only knew the Rainbow Castle, for I am its queen. 

And I am afraid my life has been withered away by the growing darkness and gnawing doubt that feeds my heart. The darkness struck suddenly, as I recall. The vile filth swallowed everything up. It was like tar, with a mind of its own. It feeds on the pure, the wise, the young. It feeds until it becomes a giant mass of anger and sadness and darkness incomprehensible. 

I twitch my ears. I freeze. _That sound...._

I lay my ears back, flap my wings, take to the gray sky. Beneath me is the remains of the valley, its shops burned to the ground after the infestation. The valley grass is charred, most gone. I fly north. The sound and dust catch my attention. I land on the remains of Majesty’s once proud castle. 

A truck is coming toward me. Human interference is something I always regretted. _Let Sundance have her way_, I thought, _and we’d all be in bridles and saddles, we’d all be put on parade_. I snort angrily, toss my mane at the thought, my blue eyes burning. 

The rig stops. I stomp over to investigate. I peer around, sniffing the oil, the headlights, eyeing the giant mirrors on the sides as I make my way round. It is a lovely shade of blue, a shade I have not seen on a pony since I was a filly. 

The truck rumbles, its headlights flicker. I gasp and dash away. I stare as the truck seems to stand upright, then, in whirrs and clicks and creaks and groans, it becomes a giant robot. A very giant robot. Even at adult height, and even with my wings, I cannot outfly or outmatch this behemoth.

The robot’s blue eyes meet mine. It lifts me into the air, so it can see me fully. 

“Queen Brightbow of the Rainbow Castle,” the robot booms, “I am Optimus Prime.”

I am speechless. No doubt this alien being is very lost. 

“Hardly anyone has set foot on Dream Valley in centuries,” I maintain composure. 

“You have something which belongs to us.”

“We have little else left save for ruins and darkness,” I spit. “What more must you take?”

“You are one of the last members of the original generation, my Queen,” Optimus Prime continues, undeterred. “And long ago, when the darkness took hold, something came here only I know about. I have come to end the darkness and keep balance.”

“How do you know such a thing exists?” I snort. “This valley has been destroyed. You may scour it, but expect to find nothing you seek.”

“Little Brightbow, my world is in as much ruin as yours. I need to find the Cube.”

“The Cube?”

“Yes, for with it alone lies my destiny and yours.”

I sit, ponder, whilst in his metallic palm. My feathered wings tickle his finger sensors. “What is this...cube?”

“It is a giant machine, capable of destroying worlds. You say your valley was destroyed centuries ago?”

“Yes,” I agree.

“The Cube vanished from my world centuries ago, as well. Three hundred years, in fact.”

“It may be hundreds more before you find it.”

“This I am well aware of. But the Cube gives as well as takes away. The Cube sent out a vile oil spill some centuries ago in this valley. Perhaps that is what killed your race.”

I fly down. I am angry and afraid, my teeth bared, my ears flat on my head, my wings fluttering. I pace.

“But we need the Cube to survive, it is our power source.”

“If I am rid of this, will the Valley be restored?”

“Perhaps,” Optimus Prime sighed. “These things take time, your highness.”

“It seems not much is at hand.” I stop, draw myself up, swivel my ears forward. “We must find this Cube. Now.”


	2. Gears in Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Optimus tries to convince Brightbow of the presence of the Cube, and they realize they have to rely on humans' help, much to Brightbow's chagrin. 
> 
> Music while writing the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I2gTjRzxaw

I wandered past the upended bricks of the Rainbow Castle, into the lengthened shadow of the giant robot that waited patiently.  


“Was there any instance of impact, perhaps between a meteor and the Valley?” Optimus wondered. I sighed, and began to run over the brown and yellow grass, my anger seeping into the deadened ground below me.  


Optimus watched my motions with interest, and scanned the skies.  


“No,” I huffed, and began to flap my wings open, lifting slightly off the ground as I continued to run as fast and as hard as I could. “Just…the smooze…!”  


Optimus tilted his head. “The…smooze?” he repeated.  


I flapped my wings once, hard. My legs began to pump in open air. I beat my wings again, catching a thermal. I slowed, and banked back toward the robot. “The smooze,” I panted, hovering at eye level. The robot’s massive blue eyes took me in as a camera lens, twisting and locking into place. “Tar, living tar, absorbing and killing all in its path. An alien presence? I am unsure. Tirek brought it forth, and we have all died…well. All save me.”  


“Who is Tirek?” Optimus processed this information. I saw the gears clicking behind his eyes, heard the giant’s heart hammer away, the metal reflecting heat and light as if he was himself a star burning thousands of light-years distant.  


“A demonic demi-god,” I sighed. I fought back tears. “Sundance remembered him, she had fought him off once before. But it was too late…he returned…and now…”  


“Hmm,” Optimus grunted, and I watched him blink, process some more. Then, he huffed, “Is this Tirek still alive? Perhaps he has stolen the Cube!”  


“No,” I shook my head, tossing my blue, purple and yellow mane. “Tirek was trapped by the smooze, by way of the pegasi guards of the Rainbow Castle. They all perished, and I…survived.”  


I stared past Optimus, into the human city beyond the valley.  


“The humans have helped me in the past,” Optimus informed me softly. “Perhaps they can help us again.”  


I ground my teeth. “No.”  


Optimus sighed. “My Queen, your anger is not justified,” he tried to reason with me. “Humans did not cause this smooze to ruin your home. The Cube did.”  


“Humans make machines like you,” I turned to face him, blocking his view of the city. I flapped my wings, snorting in contempt. “How do I know you were not sent to be rid of me?”  


“I came here to Earth in search of the Cube,” Optimus reasserted. I felt his servos whirring. “You and I have the same enemy, Queen Brightbow. If we destroy the Cube, the Decepticons will not have their beacon, and peace will be restored.”  


“Fine,” I sighed. _This robot is resolute. I have no choice but to trust him._ I landed and began to run into the depths of the Valley. Optimus’ body shifted and twisted, turning into the massive blue and red rig from before. He rumbled up alongside me.  


“I can see where the smooze moved…it followed the river toward the city.”  


I swallowed hard. “Megan and Sundance were friends. But I have only known others of my kind. I do not trust humans.”  


“Understandable,” Optimus grunted as he drove past me. “I only trust the Autobots, humans come second.” I slowed down, coming to the rise just before the city limits.  


“If I go with you…if we find this Cube…will I be unharmed by them?”  


Optimus’ body twisted and warped once again into a robot. He knelt beside me. “I can convince them you are allied with me, and they will listen.”  


I steeled myself, looked toward the skyscrapers and brick-and-mortar buildings with dread. “Then…let us go.”


	3. We Built This City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brightbow is joined by two more Autobots--Jazz and Bumblebee--and begins to wonder if their quest is all for naught.

I half trotted, half slid down the embankment toward the city. Optimus leaped down with a tremendous thud, the tremors from the movement blasting dust and rocks at a mile radius from his body. I laid back my ears in irritation.

“I thought this was supposed be a reconnaissance mission!” I hissed. 

A flashy red sports car wheeled over, its headlights an obnoxious and jarring neon yellow. Then a worse for wear yellow beetle trundled over, its speakers blaring: “We built this city…”

The sports car suddenly shifted into another behemoth of a robot, but this one was definitely smaller and thinner than Optimus. He winked at me and I snorted, closing my eyes and looking away. 

“We built this city on rock and roll!”

The music stopped and hissed into garbled static as the beetle twisted and warped into a black and yellow, rounded and much friendlier looking robot giant. This one was the smallest of the group.

  
“Optimus, who’s the rainbow pig?” the once-sports car laughed.  


“I am not a pig of any sort!” I cried, deeply offended at the assumption. “I am a pony, thank you very much!”  


“My Little Pony…I used to wonder what friendship could be…” the black and yellow round robot’s music blurted before being interrupted by static.  


“Jazz, Bumblebee, meet Queen Brightbow, the last of her kind,” Optimus Prime bowed slightly to me in quiet loyal deference. I smiled a little, glad at least one of the brutes was polite.  


“A Queen!” Jazz placed a metal hand to his chest, feigning shock. “Ha, Queen of what?! Dirt?!”  


“Just gotta get out, just gotta get right out of here!” Bumblebee shook his head and shoved Jazz hard in the arm.  


“Knock it off!” Optimus separated the robots as they started to tussle. “We have a Cube to find!”  


“Optimus, seriously, what is it with you and geometry, anyway?” Jazz grinned and Bumblebee squinted.  


“Excuse me!” I called up to the robots, impatient to get into the city and hoping their stomping and fighting wouldn’t get me noticed. “I would like to visit this city, to find the source of the smooze…your Cube might be the source of it!”  


“The Cube contains the All Spark,” Optimus Prime’s voice was imitated by Bumblebee and I jerked back in shock at the vocal mimicry. Jazz laughed, doubled over.  


“Autobots, let’s roll out,” Optimus grunted, not taking any of their antics seriously. He transformed into the rig, and the others back into their forms silently. Optimus flashed his headlights once, and Bumblebee’s door swung open for me.  


“Get out of my dreams, and into my car!” Bumblebee’s voice sang as I clambered into the worn leather seat awkwardly. My hooves braced the dashboard and my hindlegs barely touched the floor.  


“So uh…Bumblebee, is it?” I wondered as the car trundled into the skyscraper filled city. I felt my jaw drop as I craned my head to look up, bumping my nose into the visors.  


“Is there somethin’ strange, in your neighborhood?” Bumblebee sang and I was now simultaneously annoyed and intrigued by his use of music lyrics to speak.  


“Do you always sing?” I huffed, trying to see my surroundings besides the skyscrapers as we drove into downtown. The windshield was covered in a thick film of dust and debris—probably better to hide me, I realized. “I had a cousin who used to do the same—oh, what was his name? Knight Shade?”  


“I am a man who will fight for your honor,” Bumblebee sang.  


“Well, I suppose you robots are some type of protector…I am grateful. I just wish…there were other ponies like me still around.”  


“All by myself,” Bumblebee agreed. “Don’t wanna be…all by myself…”  


“Right…” I trailed off, trying not to get sick from the bouncing as Bee drove toward the city center. “Humans will probably try and catch me…how am I to travel safely in the city and find this Cube?”  


“Gonna stand out, ‘til you notice me!”  


“I don’t want to be noticed!” I squealed as Bumblebee suddenly braked hard and flung open the passenger’s side door. I tumbled out with a loud oof, my wings tight against my sides in panic mode.  


It was nightfall and I stood wearily, angry at being shoved out rather than led to a gentle stop. Bumblebee’s foot blocked me from view as he effortlessly became a giant robot once more. His large blue eyes sought mine and he smiled tenderly at me.  


“Humans left this city ages ago, it seems,” Optimus sighed, frustrated.  


“Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside!” Bumblebee tried. Optimus shook his head.  


“The virus,” he pointed to a washed out billboard with a series of numbers and images on it.  


“Oh man,” Jazz sighed as he became a robot as well. “Do you think anyone is still around?”  


“’Cause I still haven’t found what I’m lookin’ for,” Bumblebee warbled, the static cutting in and out.  


“I…I know humans by their scent,” I reluctantly admitted.  


“Humans do smell bad,” Jazz nodded, unaware of the noxious fumes he produced from oil and carbon monoxide vapors.  


“No, I mean…Megan was a friend to us ponies, long ago. She, as a human, had a scent I remember very well. I might be able to find someone…if…you really think they can be trusted.”  


Optimus knelt down, and Bumblebee folded his arms and nodded. Jazz rolled his eyes, hands on his hips.  


“Pfft, this rainbow…pig…pony, sorry…ain’t gonna find anyone around here!”  


“I will find them just to spite you, you rusty old excuse for a walking watering can!” I snorted. Jazz laughed, a horrible mechanical scraping sound.  


“Go ahead, try!”  


“If you fight through with all of your might, you will find that you can’t go wrong, that you could do it all along,” Bumblebee encouraged in an oddly familiar tone.  


I shook myself from the music and peered past the robots’ legs and the giant skyscrapers. I blinked, taking in everything as best I could. For a while the pungent smell of oil, diesel and gasoline clogged my nostrils, but then I could sift out the smells of the city…concrete, urine, some rodents and other woodland creatures gone astray. I trotted back the way we came through the city center, and stopped by a small apartment complex nestled in a high rise area.  


“Humans were here,” I sighed, steeling myself. My heart thundered in my chest as I approached the apartment complex. It looked abandoned, as much as the rest of the city, but then I noticed a dim light emanating from one of the windows.  


“Can anybody find me…?” Bumblebee strained.  


“Lay off with the singing!” Jazz shoved Bee. “We gotta be quiet, in case we spook the human out from hiding!”  


“The only question is…how do I get in unnoticed?” I wondered, looking up.


	4. Don't Stop Believin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brightbow discovers who was in the apartment in the city...and both of them receive the shock of their lives!

I felt the car cover fall over me and I sneezed. It reeked of dust and the cobwebs within made my coat twitch. My eyes peered through the headlight holes in it and the robots laughed.  


“I ain’t afraid of no ghost!” Bumblebee rasped and Jazz was doubled over again.  


“This is stupid,” I sighed under the cover, feeling like this plan of theirs to sneak me into the apartment was surely going to fail.  


“Humans are superstitious creatures,” Optimus laughed as well. “Seeing a pink Pegasus will no doubt be worse than a moving and talking piece of fabric.”  


“Very superstitious,” Bumblebee sang. “The writing’s on the wall!” he lifted me up to the lit window slowly. Once I had perched precariously on the ledge, he and the others transformed into cars once more.  


I sighed, barely able to see through the car cover and into the closed window.  


The red headed human inside was busy packing his belongings into a suitcase. He was being sent back to the ranch out of town to take care of his ailing parents with his sisters. He was also frustrated about being forced on a furlough from his teaching position in the city.  


“Yeah, yeah,” he growled into the phone, nearly throwing his clothes into the open case on the edge of his bed. “Molly…I know. Mom and Dad need us now, more than ever.”  


I looked past some of the blinds, trying to nose against the window. I yelped, almost losing my balance on the ledge.  


He paused, looking at the shadow moving on the windowsill.  


“Hey, Megan and Moll? I’ve gotta go…!” he was glad for the distraction. The red headed gentleman rolled up the blinds, and fell back, screaming in fright.  


I stood, frozen in place, shaking beneath the old car cover.  


“Must be a raccoon, or an opossum, or something!” the gentleman in the tweed suit hissed, searching for a broom to swat me off the ledge.  


I managed to study some of his appearance through the car cover, and cried, “Danny, wait!”  


The gentleman managed to lose his grip on the broom, which sailed out the window, missing me by a few inches, and smacked Jazz on the hood.  


“What the?!” Jazz hissed, and Optimus shushed him with a grumble of his engine.  


“What the hell kind of experiment did that old prof do this time, making rats like you talk?!” the gentleman took me into the apartment and whipped off the car cover.  


He screamed again and backed up, stunned.  


“You’re a---you’re a--!” he gasped. Tears suddenly filled his dilated blue eyes.  


“You’re Megan’s little brother,” I finished. I shook my mane, glad to be rid of the dusty car cover at last. “I am Queen Brightbow of the Rainbow Castle, last of the generation of Majesty the First, friend to Sundance and last of my kind.”  


Daniel sat on the floor of his apartment, stunned beyond measure.  


“I thought all of you little ponies were dead!” he stammered.  


“As we should be,” I grunted, my blue eyes glinting. I ruffled my wings. “Yet here I am.”  


“Here I am…this is me…there’s nowhere else on Earth I’d rather be,” Bumblebee couldn’t help but transform back into his Autobot form, having grown impatient with their introductions.  


I looked back at the giant robot and squinted. “And I suppose…these robots…are my friends on this journey to find my kind, and stop the smooze,” I sighed.  


“These are Transformers!” Daniel cried, standing up now to stare out his window. He looked down at the street and saw the two other Autobots sitting as vehicles. “Sam Witwicky told me about you guys!”  


“Witwicky, you say!” hummed Optimus, who instantly twisted and warped into his Autobot framework. “I haven’t heard that name in a very long time.”  


“It’s been a long day without you, my friend,” Bumblebee nodded, staring at Optimus and the newly transformed Jazz. “And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”  


“Bee, stop getting so emotional…!” Jazz rolled his eyes.  


“I get so emotional baby, every time I think of you!” Bumblebee sighed, and Optimus strode toward Daniel.  


“Daniel, is it?” Optimus grunted. He peered into the window, his giant eyeshine looming over the beige carpeting.  


“Yes,” Daniel backed up, standing closer to me. “Daniel Williams.”  


“Do you know of the Cube?” Optimus queried, hopeful.  


“Yes,” Daniel sighed, his voice shaking.  


I stared in disbelief at him. “What?!” I cried. “And do you know about the smooze as well?!”  


“That came before the virus, as did the Cube,” Daniel nodded. He flipped open his laptop, glad he hadn’t packed it away with everything else yet.  


“How do you know this?!” I demanded an explanation.  


“Sam and I ran into each other in college,” Daniel offered as he typed, looking fervently for an article he had just read a week ago. “The Cube was last seen…oh no.”  
His heart sank.  


“What?!” I wondered at the same time as Optimus.  


“The ranch,” Daniel shut his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “It crash landed near my parents’ ranch out of town and made a huge crater…the Cube. That was the last place it was seen.”  


“I have one gear…go! Epic winning!” Bumblebee jumped up and landed with a terrific slam, sending a shockwave through the air and shaking the entire city.  


“And…I have found a way to make a copy of the Rainbow of Light pendant Megan wore,” Daniel showed me shyly. “Being an archaeologist has its perks!” he grinned.  


“Whoa, that’s a full rainbow, all the way,” Bumblebee went on as Jazz shook his head. “Double rainbow, oh my God, double rainbow!”  


“A rainbow??” Jazz laughed. “What good is a rainbow gonna do us? We’ve got a Cube to find, kid!”  


“Appearances are deceiving. The Rainbow of Light is a powerful weapon, with the right human wielding it,” I argued. I looked at Daniel seriously. “Take us to this crater. I need to know what happened to my kind.”  


“Done,” Daniel nodded. He finished packing, and hurried downstairs to the street. I clattered alongside, meeting the Autobots in the streets of the city.  


“Will you choose to ride with us, kid?” Jazz offered as he returned to his sports car form.  


“I prefer to get there the old-fashioned way,” Daniel smiled at me. I spread my wings and nodded as he climbed on my back. I grunted with the additional weight but decided a good run with a human was what I needed.  


“It's driven me before, and it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around…but lately I'm beginning to find that when I drive myself, my light is found,” Bumblebee nodded as he changed into his VW beetle form. Optimus’ rig wheeled up behind me.  


“Let’s roll out!” he cried, and I ran as fast as I could go, headed toward Danny’s farm.


	5. Holding Out for a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brightbow, Bumblebee, Jazz and Optimus follow Danny to his parents' ranch...will Megan and Molly help Brightbow find out what happened to Dream Valley?

Danny eventually dismounted, and Jazz drove him the rest of the way to the farmhouse. He was in the driver’s seat, so as not to seem suspicious as he pulled up into the wide dirt driveway. 

I ran and weaved between the trees, keeping my wings tightly folded against my sides. Bumblebee honked and trundled alongside me on the road. 

“Everybody's out on the run tonight, but there's no place left to hide…”

“Bee, find Optimus!” I hissed, panting for breath. 

“No can do, little lady!” Bumblebee spun out in a near donut, then flung his passenger’s side door open. “Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!”

“Ugh,” I sighed, and leaped into the beetle just in time. Danny approached Bumblebee and motioned at the rig in the distance—Optimus—with his sisters, all smiles.

“These are Transformers!” he tried to convince them. Megan and Molly pulled uninterested faces.

“You left teaching to race cars, Danny? Honestly!” Megan was furious. Molly shook her head, her headphones drowning out their words and the engines. 

“These aren’t just any cars, they’re Transformers—space aliens!”

“Danny…are you feeling okay?” Megan sighed, and Molly rolled her eyes.

“They can help explain the crater, the asteroid!” Danny continued, adamant. 

“This is getting him nowhere,” I sighed, frustrated in his futile attempts to convince his siblings of the reality that was hidden from them. “I wish there was some way I could help…!”

A large Clydesdale stallion trotted up the dirt path by the ranch house, its coat covered in dust. I studied him carefully…and stifled a gasp. Beneath the bits of alfalfa and hay, the soil of the farmland…I saw…!

“Bee, take me to the back of the ranch house, quick!” I blurted, stomping my hooves on the dashboard.

“Hey, hey, hey! Easy on the merchandise!” Bumblebee imitated John Travolta. Then, he blasted, “Well you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk!”

I blushed furiously. “Bee! NO!”

“’Cause I’m your lady!” Bumblebee rolled down the window, music gaining volume. I ducked down under the glove compartment, my ears laid back in anger. “And you are my man!”

The stallion twisted one ear back. I could have sworn he was grinning. 

“Whenever you reach for me, I’ll do all that I can!”

I was tempted to use the worst expletives, when the stallion turned about, and trotted over, poking his nose into the passenger’s side. 

Bumblebee began to roll up the window, making the stallion whinny and pull back in fright. 

“Bee! Stop it!” I mumbled. 

“Wait!” the stallion’s rich masculine voice rang out. 

Megan, Molly and Danny ran toward the stalls in the back of the ranch house, finding the yellow Beetle, my scrunched body, and the stallion standing before us. 

“Ribbs, get back in your stall!” Megan shoved the stallion’s shoulder, trying to get him to leave the car alone. 

“No,” Ribbs stood, defiant. “I sense royalty is here, and I must stand guard.”

Danny’s jaw dropped open. Bumblebee rolled down the window again. 

Static crackled, then, “Up where the mountains meet the heavens above, out where the lightning splits the sea, I could swear there is someone, somewhere watching me!”

“Megan! Is this a--?!” Danny cried. Molly rolled her eyes, and wiped the grime away from Ribbs’ backside, revealing a fire breathing dragon tattooed on his natural blue coat. 

“Yes,” Megan sighed sadly. “Ribbs was one of the last to escape the smooze. I haven’t found any other ponies, or grundles, for that matter, aside from the ponies here. The Moochick has disappeared into the woods and refuses to help, he is getting on in age…”

“Ribbs, let me see!” cried another voice, and another pony broke free from their stall and galloped over to them. 

“A unicorn?!” Danny cried. I finally peeked my head above the door. 

“Up, Up and Away!” Molly ran toward the pony and embraced her. The pink unicorn had yellow and green balloons all over her body, and a flowing flaxen mane and tail. 

“There’s…more…of my kind?” I whimpered at last, and Bumblebee flung the door open. I fell toward the dirt, and Ribbs lifted me gently before I could hit it, helping me stand with a large feathered hoof. 

“Don't you know things can change, things'll go your way…If you hold on for one more day,” Bumblebee sang as he backed up from the ponies, reversing, and then transforming into a robot once again. 

The humans gawked, and so did the ponies. I smiled. Bee knelt before me. 

“My lady,” he intoned gently, voice crackling with static. 

Optimus walked over, and Jazz twisted into an Autobot as well. 

“Daniel Williams and kin, meet Queen Brightbow of the Rainbow Castle,” Optimus greeted them all. “I am Optimus Prime, protector of Earth and mankind.”

“Well…Optimus,” Megan stammered. “I am Megan, pony friend and protector. These are my friends, Ribbs and Up, Up and Away. They were raised by me and Molly after escaping the smooze, and following the impact of an asteroid which my brother thinks was actually your Cube.”

“Did this…smooze…follow the impact?”

“We’re not sure,” Danny mumbled, upset. “The crater doesn’t have any traces of the smooze…no signs of it on the rim or in the center of the impact site.”

“Hmm…” Optimus thought. 

“Now you’re working, building a mystery…!” Bumblebee sang between static hums.


	6. What Good Does Wishing Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brightbow breaks away from the group to try and get a sense of what to do...and while grieving she discovers someone new...!

I remembered when the smooze engulfed my kingdom, destroyed my castle under the Sun. I remembered how it had made my friends turn against me, and leave me for the wilds far from our shared valley. 

I had wandered away from the rest of the group, to seek solace on my own. I felt the tears starting, my breath coming in short gasps. I was glad some of my kind were there, but they had somehow escaped the smooze…and forgotten about me. 

_In all that time, Megan raised them as if they were her Sundance,_ I thought bitterly. _Whilst I was left alone in a rubble reduced castle, scrounging for what little food I could find, what good water bubbled up from the depths of the earth…how could they have just…left me alone to die?_

I sat down in a thicket a distance away from the farm, so I could weep in solitude. I didn’t want pity from the Transformers, nor from the ponies I had just met…I was overcome with emotion, and had to let it go lest I abandon the quest altogether. 

My tears fell in rivulets on the ferns in the thicket I nestled myself in, and I stifled my sobs to shivery whispers rather than wails of rage. I didn’t want to attract attention, and I was certain I would be forgotten about once more when the sharp buzz of wings made me stop for a moment. 

The wingbeats were like a hummingbird—fast, buzzy, high pitched—and an angry little equine face met my large wet eye. 

“Ahem!” squeaked the tiny winged equine. 

“Oh…oh…I am sorry,” I whimpered. I wiped my tears away, nearly batting at the tiny flier with my hoof. 

“Goodness, you are lousy with grief!” the tiny pony buzzed about, its wings iridescent like bubbles in the summer sunshine. “And you are sitting in the sacred flutter circle! Go on, go back to that farm!”

The tiny pony tried to push my rump away from the thicket, and I started to smile. 

“Flutter ponies! I haven’t seen nor heard from them in ages,” I replied, sniffing. The flutter pony in question continued to shove on my rump, grunting and beating its wings very hard. 

“Yes…we…aren’t…around…much…since…the…!” the flutter stopped for a moment, gasping for breath. Then, “…volcano…went…extinct!”

“Volcano!” I cried, stunned. I had forgotten about the source of the smooze, which was not the crater…at least, not from an asteroid!

“It’s been dead for a century, maybe more, since the smooze destroyed Dream Valley!”

I squinted at the flutter pony. “Well…my name is Queen Brightbow, of said valley. I am sorry to have squashed your sacred circle, flutter pony, but I must know…what happened…to my home, and my friends. And I think you are the one to tell me!”

“Humph, like that will happen!” the flutter pony laughed. “I’m too young to remember much else, the elder flutters passed their knowledge of that to me when I was a filly!”

“Are there any elders my friends and I can speak to?”

The flutter pony zipped around, squinting at me suspiciously.   
“The Moochick refuses to let us speak to ponies, or humans, or anyone from beyond the forest,” the flutter pony sighed. “What he says, goes, I’m afraid. Even if your intentions are good, Queen Brightbow, I, Morning Glory, cannot let you and your friends speak to me any longer. Please, leave this circle!”

I perked my ears. I heard my friends calling for me. 

I reluctantly stood. “Is there any chance you can help me?”

“Hope vanished with the little ponies, buried by the smooze long ago. If hope can be restored, perhaps I might be able to help. But keep my presence a secret! I will do what I can to appease the Moochick. Go back to your friends, for even though you are sad, they need you, Brightbow…!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title from this chapter is a reference to a song from My Little Pony The Movie. 
> 
> The song (from YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=250EV8UMDmw
> 
> The lyrics (thanks to Kim Shriner's Dream Valley site):  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
No one's in a fix like I am  
Morning Glory:  
I am  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
No one has the luck I do  
Morning Glory:  
I do  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
No one had the set backs I have  
Morning Glory:  
I have  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
Look where life has led me to  
Morning Glory:  
Me to  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
Nothing I can see can help me  
Morning Glory:  
Help me!  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
And with all the we've come through  
Morning Glory:  
Come through!  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
I wish this was a dream so I could wake up  
Morning Glory:  
Wake up!  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
But what good will wishing do?  
Spike:  
Come on, Lickety-Split, make a real wish. Feeling sorry for yourself  
isn't going to improve the situation  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
I can't help it - everything looks so hopeless  
Nothing I can see can help me  
Morning Glory:  
Help me!  
Spike:  
Somebody will save you  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
Who?  
Morning Glory:  
You!  
Baby Lickety Split:  
I wish there was some cozy little inn near  
Morning Glory:  
In here!  
Baby Lickety-Split:  
But what good will wishing do?  
Morning Glory:  
It might make your dreams come true!


	7. Can't Start a Fire Without a Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brightbow returns to the Autobots at Danny's farm, and everyone has a choice to make...which paths will they choose, and will they be able to find what they are looking for?

I ran back to the Williams’ ranch, and was stopped by Jazz in the form of a sportscar. 

“Hold your horses, where did you run off to?!” he quipped. I nearly stumbled into his front bumper as I stopped mid-gallop on the main path between the ranch and the nearby woods.

“I needed some time alone,” I looked away from his gaze as he transformed into his robot self. He stood, folding his arms. 

“Mmh hmm,” he grunted, not believing me for a second. “Well, Optimus has been lookin’ for you! You’d better fly over to the crater, quick!”

I unfolded my wings and snapped them hard as I flew off. The small shock of the wind made Jazz’s eyes alight in glee at making me upset. 

He drove behind me, taunting me: “Hey. You sure you’re okay? You seemed in a hurry to be on your own, and you haven’t trusted us since we found you.”  
I didn’t answer, just kept flying until I saw the crater and the other Autobots waiting nearby. 

“I just don’t get it…if this sentient tar didn’t come from the Cube…then…?” Danny scratched his head, pacing. Bumblebee warped from a Beetle into an Autobot, humming as he saw me run over to them. 

“I have an idea of the source…!” I blurted as I rushed toward them. Jazz did a donut behind me, kicking up dust. Everyone coughed, irritated. 

“Did you find traces of the smooze?! Evidence of the Cube’s location?!” Danny cried, eyes wide. 

“Calm down, Daniel,” Optimus warned. He sensed my anxiousness, and the human’s. 

Everyone waited. I caught my breath, looking around at everyone nervously. I took in a deep breath. 

“Optimus…where did you and the Autobots come from?” I asked. 

“We hail from Cybertron, Queen Brightbow,” Optimus replied. 

“No…I mean…where did you end up, on Earth?”

“After the Cube landed here…both the Decepticons and the Autobots raced one another to find it, and discovered Earth’s resources. Most of these are underground…all we remember after landing here is that our base was destroyed by an eruption. Skyfire, who is with us no longer, was here when…wait. Are you saying…your smooze…and our Cube…had the same source?”

“Yes,” I nodded. “The volcano is in the forest; its eruption is what led to the formation of Dream Valley and the earth below us many years ago. I believe a later eruption is what led to the heat source for the smooze, and could also explain the disappearance of the Cube!”

“Fascinating,” Optimus nodded, crouching to see me better. 

“How will I know?” Bumblebee sang. 

“Well…I am not certain about this…it’s a hunch! But your crater is missing all the signs of both the smooze and the Cube…and the only _other_ crater that could develop disaster is the one that belongs to the nearby volcano!”

“Hmmm…Jazz, what do you think?” Optimus consulted the other Autobot.

Jazz shrugged. “Eh, it’s as good an idea as any! I don’t see any issue in investigating this volcano…as long as it won’t erupt!”

“Negative,” Optimus scanned the earth for a moment with heat sensors. “This area has been inactive for two centuries. I doubt an eruption will happen now.”

“Well!” Danny turned to Megan and Molly. The other ponies came over, curious. “We know who lives in the forest that might help us again…!”

“The Moochick hasn’t been around, Danny,” Megan sighed, shaking her head in frustration. “I don’t think he’s alive, much less able to help.”

“Regardless, we should follow Queen Brightbow’s idea,” Optimus agreed with me. “And we must find the Cube’s resting place before the Decepticons find us!”

Danny looked to Molly and the other ponies. “Do any of you want to come with us?”

“I will,” Ribbs snorted, tossing his mane as he trotted over to me. I smiled a little. He looked stern as he stood beside me. “It’s my duty to protect a royal pony. I must come with you.”

Optimus nodded, appreciating the sense of honor the stallion carried. 

“I will stay with Megan and Up, Up and Away,” Molly mumbled. “I hope you can find this Cube thing, and what happened with the smooze…I remember how awful that thing was, and I don’t ever want to see it again!” she shuddered.

“That’s fine,” Danny agreed. “You both have lots to do with taking care of mom and dad, anyhow.”

Megan squeezed Danny’s hands. “Be careful. Do you need the Rainbow of Light?”

“No, I…will be alright,” Danny kept the copy locket a secret from his sisters. He didn’t want them to get hurt, and figured they needed the real locket more than he did. 

“Let’s go find this volcano, then!” Jazz became a sportscar once again. Danny hopped inside the passenger’s seat, and the other Autobots twisted into cars as well. 

“Roll out!” Optimus trundled along, leading them toward the heat source signature in the heart of the forest on the outskirts of Dream Valley. I managed to fly alongside Bumblebee on my left, in his yellow Beetle form, and Ribbs on my right, who galloped at full speed to keep up with us. 

Megan and Molly watched as we departed. 

“Megan…what happens when Danny finds out..?!” Molly hissed. 

Megan stood, silent, her arms folded and brows furrowed. “He’s on his own, now. We have work to do.”


	8. Looking for a Castle in the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brightbow ventures into the forest with her friends, only to discover some long lost residents of Dream Valley!

I eventually tired of flying, and fell in step alongside Ribbs. It had been years since I had seen him—we were foals then, young and impressionable, and while his cutie mark indicated royalty of some degree, I didn’t realize until the moment he decided to join me in the search for the smooze’s source that he was indeed destined to be a protector. 

“Why did you stay with them?” I asked. 

Ribbs kept looking ahead, nimbly leaping over an errant tree root before continuing his gallop next to me. “I didn’t know of others who had escaped the smooze…only Up, Up and Away and I were left, and we had already fled the castle grounds, certain it was too late for the rest of us. Had I known you were there…I would have stayed. I had forgotten where my loyalties lay. Forgive me.”

I nodded, considering this to be the truth. Why would they return to a source of death and destruction, when the Williams family could provide them a safe place to survive? I sighed, still feeling saddened. I have to find the source of the smooze…could it revive and take what little is left?

Evidently Ribbs had the same thought as he said, “The smooze retreated into the depths of the forest we are running in…but it did so without a trace. The Moochick is very advanced in age. I don’t think he will be able to help us as he did before…”

Bumblebee swerved alongside me suddenly, blocking my path, and transforming into an Autobot. Ribbs reared back, whinnying, and turned about us, flanking my other side as best he could. 

“Bee, what’s up?!” Jazz slammed on his brakes, nearly hitting a tree in the process. Optimus gradually slowed to a stop as well. 

“The wind was on the withered heath, but in the forest stirred no leaf: There shadows lay be night or day, and dark things silent crept beneath,” Bumblebee intoned, and I felt my jaw drop somewhat at the creatures before us in the undergrowth of the forest. 

The one facing us was the oldest of the group, with gray wrinkled flesh and a glinting jewel necklace around his neck. His red vest was in tatters, his body covered in moss and algae from living in the woods. He leaned upon a large branch, and squinted at us skeptically. 

“Who are you, visiting Grundleland? Grundles good, Grundles good, but you?”

I was taken aback. I thought the Grundles had died from the smooze, along with the ponies—even though they had inherited the ruins of Dream Valley, they refused them for the depths of the forest, claiming the place as their own, despite the protests of the Moochick. 

“We are Autobots, and we come seeking the reason for the ruins of Dream Valley,” Optimus Prime explained. “And we are searching for a device known as The Cube.”

“Cube and smooze, these two, these two!” King Grundle looked away, thinking hard. “And ponies! Grundles not see ponies in many a year, not since smooze disappeared!”

“This is Queen Brightbow, of the Rainbow Castle,” Ribbs informed the King Grundle.

“A queen, a queen!” the Grundles chirred, suddenly making an appearance from the forest floor. “Betrothed, betrothed?” they asked. I blushed furiously, stunned at the suggestion. 

“King Grundle needs Queen Grundle, not pony!” King Grundle dismissed them, waving his hands as if to shoo them away. They stared at me and Ribbs forlornly. “Besides, they want smooze, not married blues!”   
“And the Cube!” Optimus reminded them. 

“Cube, cube, oooh and smoooooooooze,” the Grundles chanted, swaying a bit to their own voices. 

“King Grundle does not know of Cube, but smooze is gone,” he sighed. “Smooze went into volcano, away for a century now…quiet, silent.”

“The Cube was last seen near that volcano!” I pointed out. “Do the Grundles live near it?”

“No, too hot!” one asserted, disgusted.

“No, too smelly!” another agreed.

“No, too dangerous,” another Grundle nodded. 

“Grundles live here now, we have since Moochick said so,” King Grundle explained. 

“And where is this…Moochick?” Jazz wondered. 

“Mushrooms!” the Grundles all echoed happily. 

“Ah, within the forest, but he is not well, not well,” King Grundle sighed sadly. “So now I guard it—me, King of the Grundles!”

“Grundles good, Grundles good!” the Grundles agreed. 

“And what of the flutter ponies?” I demanded to know, my voice carrying a dark edge. The Grundles looked at one another uncertainly. 

“Flutter ponies do not like Grundles,” King Grundle shook his head. “We take their shinies and they are mad, mad, mad!”

“Shiny stuff?” Jazz wondered. “Like…chrome on us Autobots, maybe?”

“Ooooooooohhhh,” the Grundles wandered over to admire Jazz, Bumblebee and Optimus, their eyes widening at the thought of acquiring parts to take to their dens. 

“I think you meant chrome of the Cube!” Optimus grumbled, trying hard not to swat at a few Grundles that decided to ascend one of his legs. 

“I wasn’t aware Grundles stole possessions still,” Ribbs’ whinny echoed through the forest, making the Grundles stop and face him. The Autobots were silent as well. 

“Grundles good?” one sadly asked the King Grundle, who was grimacing in anger at the accusation. 

“We don’t mean to take the shinies, and we didn’t know they were theirs!!” he shrieked in rage, stamping his feet. The other Grundles shrank back down into the forest floor, resembling moss, quivering in fright. 

King Grundle marched up to Ribbs and wagged a finger in his muzzle, scowling. Ribbs twisted his ears back and blocked me, and I peered over at the angry being. 

“You ponies are trouble! Almost got us all gobbled up by the smooze! Even flutter ponies not good like us Grundles! Moochick will never want to see your kind here again!!” 

“Now I disagree with that, King Grundle,” a wispy ancient voice drifted over to them all. I had to strain to hear it, but it was there, a subtle warble over the silent woods. “These robots are strange folk to me, but ponies? Ah, ponies have…” There was a pause, and a croaking cough. Then a rasp of, “…ponies have always…been my friends. I wanted you all to live in…Paradise…!” 

“…more like Paradise Lost!” Jazz huffed, and Optimus sighed, shaking his head. 

I then heard the Moochick before anyone else: “Queen…Brightbow, is it? Yes, you…met…Morning Glory! And…you…shall…visit me. I will explain…everything!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is in reference to a song by the Moochick from My Little Pony: The Movie (1986)--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHi-rZW8XXU


	9. Made of the Ashes of Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brightbow, Ribbs and the Autobots are surprised by the presence of an unwelcome foe in their midst...!

I paused, staring at the Autobots. They waited for me to speak. 

“The Moochick wishes to see…me?”

“The Moochick doesn’t want trespassers!” King Grundle jabbed a grubby finger at my chest. “And that includes robots and ponies! Begone, leave us, for Dream Valley is no more!”

“Where there is death, there is new life,” rasped a familiar screeching tone. The Autobots readied themselves for battle, clenching their fists. 

I felt my jaw drop, and I backed up, Ribbs nearly bumping into me as he did the same. 

“You ponies have brought nothing but misery to these woods,” a robotic drone blended with the gentle cadence of the long lost companion of Megan. Sundance approached us, her white coat gleaming as if new, her eyes glowing as well, a brilliant red, their light piercing the darkness of the forest. Sundance suddenly was pulled back in a violent thrust, and I let out a scream of horror. 

Sundance was buried in metal coils and wires, and sank into the chest of a silver Transformer with a hideous rasping cackle. “I never thought I’d have use for creatures of the flesh, but this one makes a good Allspark source!”

“Starscream!” Optimus cried, and the Decepticon in question cackled again, striking trees as he dragged his metallic body across the forest floor. 

“It looks like the gang’s all here!” Starscream rattled, swiveling his head down to squint at me. I was paralyzed by fear, my heart racing a mile a minute on seeing what the robots could do to the ponies. A seed of doubt planted itself in my mind—_what if these Autobots do the same to me and Ribbs and who knows who else!_

“What have you done to Sundance?!” Ribbs challenged.

I looked at him: Oh Ribbs, you gallant foolish colt, you will get us all killed!

“Sundance, eh!” Starscream swung his legs downward and sat on a nearby boulder. The Grundles had fled his approach, quivering in fright. “Starscream is a better name, I think!”

“What have you done to her?!” Ribbs shouted, even angrier, charging closer to him. Bumblebee blocked him with one of his legs, shaking his head in a silent, No!

“These ponies have a life force…it is how the Decepticons learned about this valley, usurped its resources, and reforged the Cube!” Starscream was all too eager to blab about his plans. “With Megatron gone, I figured this cutesy woodland needed some…cleaning up!”

“You stole the ponies and…ate them?!” Jazz wondered, disgusted. 

“No, no, we just drain their life force one day at a time, and imprison them in our bodies.” 

“What?!” Ribbs and I gasped. 

“Oh, not to worry, this…Sundance?...is long gone. But you two…well. You two are very much alive!” 

Starscream suddenly lunged toward Ribbs and I, and I flew up, gritting my teeth and holding back tears. Ribbs ran, Bumblebee blocking his path so he could get away to safety. 

“What of…the tar like substance…the smooze?!” Optimus yanked Starscream back, holding him firmly by the shoulders, disgusted by the use of the pony for fuel for his body. 

“Sentient oil is not beyond the realm of possibility for Decepticons!” Starscream smirked. Optimus suddenly punched him in the face, hard. 

“It’s a fight you want, eh!” Starscream spat a blob of oil from his mouth, resetting his jaw with a sharp creak. “Skywarp, Shockwave, Thundercracker! We’ve got some Autobots to destroy!…and try not to damage the ponies too much, we need their life source, their Allspark!” he shrieked. 

“Time to get outta here, little ponies!” Jazz rushed over and blasted some lasers into the air, distracting the approaching Decepticons. Ribbs and I ran, and I suddenly, through all the din, sensed the Moochick. 

“Come on!” I yelled to Ribbs, and landed, running through the legs of Decepticons and Autobots to get into the forest’s heart. 

“Where are you going?!” Ribbs huffed, frothing at the mouth a little from running so much. “The Autobots need our help!”

“We can’t risk it, the Decepticons will capture us for their own…I’m taking us to the Moochick!”  
“But I thought he wanted us to leave!” Ribbs snorted, confused. 

“The Grundles are easily swayed…remember the witches that sent the smooze out in the first place? No…the Moochick asked for me, and I am going to find him so we can get out of this mess and make a new Dream Valley!”

“What!” Ribbs stopped dead in his tracks, tossing his mane. “What do you mean, make a new Dream Valley?!”

I paused, panting for breath, and faced him. “The Moochick promised us Paradise Estate. With that and the old Dream Valley destroyed, he must know of a new place for us to call home!”

“We can’t keep relying on some other source for us to survive, my lady!” Ribbs shook his head in protest. “Why can’t we live in the Williams’ ranch? After all this is over…I’m sure…”

“The humans attracted those robots in the first place!” I argued, flushing bright red. “And they ignored me, and who knows who else for too long! I do not trust them. Where are they now, anyway?” 

“Wait…you’re right!” Ribbs realized. We looked around feverishly. The robots battled viciously. The Grundles had fled and hid. But there was no sign of Danny, Megan or Molly anywhere…


	10. The Rainbow of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny leaves when Brightbow needs him the most...will he return with the Rainbow of Light? And can Optimus, Bumblebee and Jazz fight off the Decepticons, or will it be too late for Brightbow, Ribbs and all of the remaining My Little Ponies?!

Danny jumped out of Jazz’s driver’s seat as he transformed into an Autobot. “Go, Jazz! Give the Rainbow of Light to Optimus when it’s time!” 

“A rainbow ain’t gonna do much, but I guess it’s all we’ve got!” Jazz sighed as he joined the fray with Optimus and Bumblebee. Danny then heard a mournful whinny, and found himself face to face with what was once Sundance, walking across a clearing. He covered his mouth in shock as Sundance’s body was dragged backward and hauled into the chest of another Transformer—a Decepticon, by the looks of him—and turned away. He ran back through the woods, knowing by the time he reached the farm it might be too late for us. 

Meanwhile, I had followed the Moochick’s voice and found him, bedridden and sad, in an old decaying mushroom in the forest’s heart. 

“You found me at last, My Little Pony,” the Moochick waved an arm feebly to an elder rabbit companion. The rabbit presented me with a map. “This…” he spluttered and coughed, hiding his face for a moment. His eyes still had an inner glow, but in my heart I knew there wasn’t much time. “…this…is the map to your new home.” 

I studied it, puzzled by the names of the castles and the towns. “…Equestria?” I wondered softly. “This place…it is so far away!”

“…it is here…where you will give rise to a new home for the ponies,” the Moochick softly proclaimed, tears in his eyes. “You and your betrothed will sire the most powerful ponies any world has ever seen, for there is much magic…in your hearts…”

I blushed, meeting eyes with Ribbs. He blushed as well, turning half his cheeks a brilliant magenta. 

“I…I haven’t agreed to…” he began, softly. 

“Nonsense, nonsense!” the Moochick managed a smirk. “I can…see…it…plain as day…and…I say, what is…all that racket!”

“It’s nothing…” Ribbs lied, looking to me again. I nodded, then looked at the Moochick. 

“I am a Pegasus…Ribbs is an Earth pony…there is no way we can…”  
“Morning Glory and the flutter ponies already harvested your…tears…your mane…and your truth, from when you sat in their circle…” the Moochick explained. “By these things, and the will of my blessing, you both will create…a new…paradise…” And he coughed up blood, and leaned over, in pain. His rabbit attendant rushed over, terrified. I backed up, looking at Ribbs forlornly. 

_This is his deathbed…we are too late…_I realized, heartbroken. 

_We are not too late, your Grace,_ Ribbs’ eyes told me all I needed to hear. 

“We shall find this…Equestria…and grant your wish, Moochick,” Ribbs bowed before him. I joined in the motion, despite his coughs and wheezing. 

“And stop all that…horrible…machinery?!” the Moochick’s eyes widened, and suddenly he stopped moving. 

Starscream’s hideous grin greeted us. “Well, well…more Allspark sources!” He tore the mushroom house wide open and Ribbs and I fled, the map in his teeth. The rabbit attendant screamed before it was crushed by Starscream’s massive foot. 

“Skywarp!” Starscream threw the body of the Moochick at him. “Give those two chase, and take this Allspark source as my thanks! We can’t let them get away!”

Skywarp nodded, and with a metal screech and clunking, scraping and shearing, the Moochick was absorbed into his body. 

He then transformed into an F-15 Eagle and took off after us.

Starscream stood and faced the oncoming Autobots, a wicked grin on his face. 

“It’s too late, Autobots!” he sneered. “Those ponies will belong to the Decepticons, and become part of the new reforged Allspark for the Cube!”

“We’ll never let you hurt our friends, Starscream!” Jazz countered, and Bumblebee nodded, lowering his face shield. 

“Let Queen Brightbow and her friends go—this is between you and me, Starscream!” Optimus challenged, pointing at the chest of the Decepticon. 

Bumblebee blared some trumpet music, and intoned, “It’s the final countdown!”

Starscream cackled and Thundercracker and Shockwave flanked him. “I think it’s time you finally faced your fate, Optimus! You and the Autobots will return to Cybertron in pieces when we’re finished with you!”

“Autobots! Let’s get those Decepticons, and protect our little pony friends!” 

“Eugh, how cute,” Starscream slammed into Optimus while Bumblebee and Jazz fought off Thundercracker and Shockwave. “What good will ponies do anyway, besides provide another Allspark source?! We both know that without the Cube for energy, our kind will die on this miserable, misbegotten planet!”

“They are infinitely more powerful than any of us,” Optimus countered. 

The Decepticons all laughed. Jazz suddenly threw a heart shaped locket at Optimus, who caught it in time before it was intercepted by Starscream. 

“Who dares steal the Rainbow of Light?!” came a sudden booming voice. The Transformers stopped fighting and a group of flutter ponies surrounded them. The one who spoke was Morning Glory!

Starscream laughed again. “Even smaller ponies! This is your great army?!”  
“Never underestimate beings based on their size!” Optimus challenged, and Bumblebee threw a left hook into Starscream’s jaw during his distracted gaze at the newly arrived ponies. 

Starscream staggered, and the flutter ponies obscured the vision of Thundercracker and Shockwave. Jazz saw me and Ribbs fleeing while Skywarp flew after us. “Optimus! Skywarp’s hot on their tails!” 

“Right!” Optimus presented the locket to Morning Glory, kneeling down. “I believe this is what you seek.”

“Begone from this forest, and from this planet!” Morning Glory took the locket and flew up into the canopy. She opened the locket and light flooded the clearing. The Transformers all shielded their eyes for a moment. Then, a massive rainbow tore open a portal to Cybertron, which began to pull all of the Transformers toward it!

Optimus, Bee and Jazz held their ground as Starscream, Thundercracker and Shockwave got pulled into the portal and fell into the void of space-time. 

I kept running, opening my wings, and trying to fly against the portal in the distance. Ribbs ran beside me. 

“Don’t look back, Brightbow!” he yelled. “Don’t look back!”

I looked forward, trying to think of this new land the Moochick had given us. _Equestria…!_ I thought hard, tears filming my bright blue eyes. 

“Wait!” came a familiar cry in the distance. “Wait for me!” It was Up, Up and Away, the pink unicorn! She came running alongside us. I was stunned. 

“How did you find us?!” I wondered.  
“Danny came back to the farm, and told us what happened!” Up, Up and Away explained, gasping for breath. She created a teleportation shield around us as she spoke. “He’s here, with Molly and Megan and the real Rainbow of Light! And the flutter ponies have agreed to stay here on Earth!”

“The Moochick wants me to rule a new land, Equestria!” I gritted my teeth as the strength of the portal grew. 

Skywarp gave a loud, terrible screech as he tumbled to the ground behind us, his landing gear broken, and engines failing as he was dragged back into the portal the flutter ponies had opened. 

“Equestria!” Up, Up and Away’s teleportation shield glimmered as she said the word. 

Then, we vanished. 

Optimus watched us disappear, and before we fell into our own void of space-time, he thought, _Farewell, Queen Brightbow. The Autobots will always be your friends. Look for us, when all is grim and the end is near, and we will be by your side. Fight for and do what is right—always._ And then, the Autobots let go, and the portal closed. 

The flutter ponies landed in the destroyed glade. Danny, Molly and Megan stood together, holding one another tight, sobbing softly. 

**Years later…**

I found myself resting next to Ribbs in a giant meadow. Up, Up and Away had run off somewhere, to catch the colts and fillies who were misbehaving by the streambed again. 

Our colts and fillies…in a rainbow of colors, with wings, and horns, and made of the stuff of the earth below us. I could hardly believe that I survived to make a new home in a new place, but here I am…Queen Brightbow, mother to Princesses Luna and Celestia, one day the new rulers of Equestria…

**The End**


End file.
